Parkinson’s Disease, or simply PD, is a neurological disorder often characterized by tremors, impaired balance, changes in speech, and so much more. Parkinson’s is largely an individualized disorder in the essence that symptoms vary from person to person and no two cases may ever be identical. It is for this exact reason that Parkinson’s remains a formidable challenge in the world of science and medicine. With the first case of Parkinson’s being recorded in the early 19th century, researchers and doctors around the world have been working on trying to find a cure since. Despite significant advancements in the understanding of this neurological condition, current treatment methods only offer temporary relief and fall short of being classified as a “cure”. As a result, current treatment methods need to be reanalyzed and reconsidered before an effective cure can be found.
One of the more common methodologies for treating Parkinson’s Disease involves the usage of transcranial magnetic stimulation or TMS. TMS works by inducing the brain with electrical currents that stimulate certain regions of the brain over others. In the usage of TMS and Parkinson’s Disease, the motor cortex is typically excited by these magnetic stimulations. Doing this enables the motor pathways to become nearly fully functional and returns depleted neural pathways back to their original status. Because symptoms of PD are largely motor-functioning related, this treatment method is effective and is currently in use by over 150,000 individuals diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. Now, this sounds great - while TMS is not a cure, it's providing individuals with a sense of normalcy and allowing them to function seemingly as normal – so, what’s the issue? Well, as stated, TMS is not a cure for PD. TMS is simply masking the symptoms of this neurological condition and making them less apparent. In severe cases of PD, TMS is not very effective and needs to be coupled with other treatment options. Furthermore, there is emerging evidence that the usage of TMS is causing adverse side effects in patients. In a study published by the University of Zurich, it was found that in a small group of individuals with TMS being used as a primary treatment for PD, several of these individuals lost their ability for arm-to-leg coordination. This was discovered in an inability to swim while TMS was active. Interestingly, as soon as the TMS was turned off, these individuals immediately regained their ability to swim again. Once isolated, similar findings amongst patients using TMS have resulted in the FDA issuing notice to nearly 2,400 doctors and warning patients not to swim alone. What once seemed to be the most effective treatment method for Parkinson’s Disease is now becoming widely cautionary – providing even more reasons why treatment methods need to be re-evaluated.
A more recent methodology that has been discovered as a potential treatment for Parkinson’s Disease was discussed in a research paper by Mimoko Takahashi, et al. In this paper, the researchers shifted their focus from traditional Parkinson’s treatments to something much more fine-focused – protein receptors. Specifically, the Ykt6 protein receptor is involved in vesicular fusion pathways within eukaryotic cells. This process is especially important in intracellular homeostasis and the transport/secretion of various other cellular materials. Concerning Parkinson’s Disease, vesicular trafficking and fusion are essential to ensure the normal function of neurons and their ability to communicate with other neurons. If this process is interrupted, especially within neurons, one may expect to observe the impairments of motor symptoms that are often associated with PD. Furthermore, the Ykt6 protein is also known to interact with and remove alpha-synuclein, a protein that is known to aggregate abnormally in the presence of PD. This toxic protein accumulation is seen in various tests, all of which are used in corroboration to diagnose Parkinson’s. With that being said, what the researchers found was that upon Ca2+ signaling, Ykt6 is phosphorylated and ultimately preserved in areas where it was once lacking. This subsequently implies that the Ykt6 protein is reestablished, and the cells can maintain homeostasis – thereby reducing the onset of PD symptoms. While the bulk of this research is largely hypothetical in terms of human implementation, it provides a hopeful insight into finding a more sustainable and effective cure.
Parkinson’s Disease is a highly individualized condition where symptoms for two people may never be the same. With such disparity, it has proven very difficult to find a cure that fits all cases. While many treatment options may help living with Parkinson’s tolerable, these solutions are mere band-aids to the problem. One of the most common forms of treatment for PD, TMS, has begun to show implications in terms of its relative effectiveness and the emergence of other implications. It is for this reason that we must begin shifting our focus to other forms of treatment to find a safe, effective, and long-term cure for PD. Thankfully, due to the work of Mimoko Takahashi and her colleagues, we may be one step closer. Takahashi and colleagues have begun looking at cellular mechanisms within Parkinson’s that, thus far, have proven hopeful means for correcting some of the neurological homeostatic flaws that occur with the presence of PD. While there is still no cure for this debilitating condition, researchers are learning more and more about PD, and we may be closer than ever to finding a true cure.
References
Grady, Denise. “Swimmers Beware of Deep Brain Stimulation.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 27 Nov. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/11/27/health/swimming-Parkinsons-brain-implants.html?searchResultPosition=4.
McGrath, Kaitlyn, et al. “A conformational switch driven by phosphorylation regulates the activity of the evolutionarily conserved SNARE YKT6.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 118, no. 12, 2021, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2016730118.
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